Longhorns Spotlight: Royal Ivey

1/10/03
By Scott McConnell

There is a stereotype out there in mainstream America that junior guard Royal Ivey would like to correct. The prep school system, contrary to popular belief, is not set up simply to help young athletes get their grades or standardized test scores to a suitable level in order to allow them to perform their athletic skills at the collegiate level. It can be a positive tool in preparing young adults for the college experience while easing the transition from high school to college.

Ivey should know best. After all, he spent a year at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., following his graduation from Cardozo High School in Queens, N.Y.

"A lot of people think that the kids who attend prep schools are no good," Ivey said. "They think they are going for the wrong reasons. It's not like that at all."

Ivey was a fine student who balanced classes, basketball and dance while at Cardozo. He could have gone straight to college but chose the prep school route for a simple reason.

"I wanted to get another year under my belt, both for maturity and basketball reasons," Ivey said. "I was not pleased with the looks I was getting in the recruiting process from mid-major and high Division I programs. I happened to get a call from (head coach) Joe Mantegna at Blair Academy, and I went from there."

Blair Academy is a prestigious prep school that provided Ivey with a regimen of tough classes in a college environment. All students lived in dorms on the campus.

"For the first time in my life, I lived in a different state with different people than who I had grown up with," Ivey said. "The experience of being away from home is different. Blair felt like a college campus and it provided everyone with a great environment for learning."

Now into his third year at The University of Texas, Ivey appreciates the year he spent at Blair even more than what he did at the time.

"Going to Blair Academy allowed me to develop very good study habits and realize that school is very important," Ivey said. "You have to know how to study and have good time management skills in order to be successful in college. My year at Blair was a big help in getting me ready for a place like The University of Texas."

In addition to helping Ivey prepare for the academic and social atmosphere that he found at the university level, his basketball game also improved. Ivey grew an inch, got stronger and gained more confidence in his game during his one season under Mantegna, when he averaged 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists per contest for Blair.

For younger kids out there who are looking at the pros and cons of attending a prep school before moving on to college, Ivey is a big proponent of the system.

"If you can attend a prep school and want to do it for the right reasons, I would advise people to do it," Ivey said. "If you have the money or can find a sponsor to help with the costs, I would do it. I can only look back and laugh at the times that I had at Blair and the friends that I met. I'm thankful for the opportunity that I had."

Check out The Royal Insider. Each week during the 2002-03 season, junior guard Royal Ivey will sit down with www.TexasSports.com for an up-close and personal look into the life of a college basketball player.

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